Kenya’s digital landscape is increasingly central to its democratic processes. Yet, it faces growing threats from misinformation, propaganda, and the misuse of emerging technologies like AI. Deep-rooted societal issues such as preferences for “peace over democracy,” widespread hopelessness, political apathy, and unresolved historical grievances from post-independence betrayals create fertile ground for propaganda to flourish, especially during elections. These vulnerabilities make manipulated narratives more influential, as citizens disengage from a system perceived as untrustworthy. This analysis highlights how digital tools accelerate “information disorder” while proposing balanced, rights-respecting solutions to safeguard democratic freedoms.
Societal Vulnerabilities
Societal beliefs significantly amplify vulnerability to misinformation. When people feel their votes do not matter or that leaders consistently betray public trust, apathy rises, evident in declining voter turnout. For example, in the 2022 general elections, there was a low voter turnout of 64.77%, which was a drop from the 78% attained in the 2017 General Election, with youth disengagement particularly pronounced due to disillusionment and mistrust in institutions.
Mechanisms Driving Misinformation in Digital Spaces
Digital tools accelerate the spread of misinformation through several mechanisms:
- Profit-driven platforms prioritise engagement (and ad revenue) over accuracy, often amplifying sensational or divisive content.
- AI tools, including generative models, enable the rapid creation of propaganda, deepfakes, fake news, and coordinated campaigns, particularly evident in electoral periods, with reports of AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media in recent Kenyan contexts ahead of 2027.
- Paid influencers and bloggers (sometimes called “disinformation-for-hire”) receive financial incentives to provide services to politicians and political parties.
- Algorithmic suppression and keyword-based censorship force activists to adapt with new circumvention tactics.
Recent Developments and Emerging Threats
Recent developments underscore these trends. Sophisticated disinformation campaigns could shape the upcoming 2027 elections, including the use of AI-generated deepfakes, coordinated hashtag operations, and bot-driven narratives eroding trust in institutions. Social media Platforms have emerged as leading vectors for misinformation in Kenya, with surveys indicating that these platforms are the primary source of misleading content, manipulated videos, and political propaganda. Major social media platforms have adopted a more openly partisan stance on content moderation, including the removal or replacement of independent fact-checkers with user-driven systems.
Recommendations from Civil Society
The recommendations emphasise pragmatic responses: focusing on digital literacy to equip communities to discern truth from fabrication, offline community building to sustain movements, and strategic advocacy rather than blanket bans on platforms or AI tools. Kenyan civil society organisations (CSOs) advocate multi-stakeholder approaches, enhancing content moderation, promoting media literacy, and countering misuse while preserving access to tools that empower activism and youth mobilisation. Blanket bans risk limiting democratic participation, especially for marginalised groups reliant on digital spaces. Transitioning online communities to offline organising is vital, as digital platforms face monitoring, suppression, or shutdown risks (as observed in past protests). Building resilient grassroots networks sustains social justice efforts beyond volatile online environments.
Regulatory Efforts
Government efforts include frameworks like the National Guidelines of Practice on Disinformation and Hate Speech (advanced through the National Cohesion and Integration Commission in 2025) and the Kenya Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025–2030, which promote ethical AI governance, innovation, and safeguards without stifling freedoms.
Overall, a balanced perspective: technology is not inherently the enemy, but its weaponisation by rogue actors, corporate incentives, and unaddressed societal fractures demands proactive, rights-respecting responses. Strengthening constitutional protections for free expression (under Article 33), investing in education on information disorder, and fostering accountable tech governance can help Kenya navigate these tensions toward more robust democratic freedoms. By addressing root causes rather than symptoms, this approach aligns with broader African efforts to counter digital threats while advancing sovereignty, ensuring digital tools empower rather than undermine the public will.
